JP7349731B2 - fruit harvesting shears - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to fruit harvesting shears that allow even non-experts to easily cut the hard and thick stems of pumpkin or the like at the optimal position.

Pumpkins have hard and thick stems (also called stalks or stems), so when harvesting pumpkins, it is necessary to cut the stems short, leaving about 3 to 5 mm of stems, so as not to damage the surface of the fruit during transportation. be. This work has conventionally been performed using hand-held scissors as disclosed in Patent Document 1.

The scissors of Patent Document 1 have left and right cutting edges curved upward, so the scissors can be cut in one operation by touching the cutting edge to the depression near the boundary between the pumpkin fruit and the stem. The stem can be cut short. However, manually harvesting each fruit one by one while finely adjusting the length of the stalks is difficult work even for experienced workers. Therefore, there has been a demand for the development of scissors that allow even non-experts to easily adjust the cutting location of the fruit stalk.

Publication No. 58-137049

An object of the present invention is to provide fruit harvesting shears that allow even an unskilled person to easily cut off a hard and thick fruit stem of a pumpkin or the like at an optimal position.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides fruit harvesting shears including a pair of blades rotatably supported by a first support shaft,
The pair of blade bodies each include a blade portion and a base end portion sandwiching the first support shaft,
The blade portion is approximately elliptical in plan view when the pair of blade bodies are closed, and is formed to curve upward;
To provide fruit harvesting scissors, characterized in that a spacer is provided on the back side of the blade part or the first support shaft.

Here, the "spacer" is a member for leaving a certain distance between the pair of blades and the surface of the fruit when the fruit is harvested using the fruit harvesting shears.

The spacer may be provided on the back side of the blade portion, have a hard and smooth surface, and have a thickness of 5 mm or less.

Further, the spacer may be provided on the back side of the first support shaft, and may have an elastic columnar structure with a thickness of 5 mm or more and 15 mm or less.

Furthermore, a stopper may be provided at the base end so that when the pair of blade bodies is closed, the left and right blade edges do not intersect more than a certain level.

According to the present invention, by providing a spacer on the back side of the blade of the fruit harvesting shears and cutting the fruit stem with the spacer in contact with the upper surface of the fruit, cutting the fruit stem can be done without the need of an expert. Fine adjustments can be made easily, and the stem can be cut at the optimal position with a single operation.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of fruit harvesting shears according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the periphery of the blade body of the scissors according to the first embodiment when the cutting edge is open; It is a perspective view explaining the connection method of the arm part and the blade body in this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a state in which the connecting portion is removed. FIG. 3 is a back view of the vicinity of the blade portion of the scissors according to the first embodiment when the cutting edge is open; FIG. 2 is a plan view of the area around the blade portion of the scissors according to the first embodiment when the cutting edge is closed. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the blade portion of the scissors according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a side view of the blade portion of the scissors according to the second embodiment. FIG. 3 is a photographic image showing how to use the scissors of the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a photographic image showing how to use the scissors of the second embodiment.

Hereinafter, the structure of the fruit harvesting shears of this embodiment will be explained with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the scissors according to the present embodiment includes a pair of blade bodies 1 and 2 rotatably supported by a first support shaft 31, one end of which is connected to the blade bodies 1 and 2, and a pair of arm parts 4, 5 rotatably supported by a second support shaft 32, and grip parts 6, 7 provided at the other ends of the pair of arm parts 4, 5, respectively. The structure is as follows. Further, the pair of blade bodies 1 and 2 each include a blade portion 12 and a base end portion 13 with the first support shaft 31 in between.

These scissors are used in a standing position to open and close the blades 1 and 2 by holding the grips 6 and 7 of the arms 4 and 5 from side to side to open and close the blades 1 and 2 to harvest fruits.

A second support shaft 32 that pivotally supports the intersection of the pair of arm portions 4 and 5 is provided at a position closer to the end point on the blade bodies 1 and 2 side than the end point on the grip portions 6 and 7 side. Therefore, the force that the operator applies to the gripping parts 6, 7 is increased by the action of the lever and is transmitted to the blade parts 12, 12.

As shown in FIG. 2, the blade bodies 1, 2 are connected to one ends of the arm parts 4, 5 via connecting parts 8, 8 near the center of the base end parts 13, 13. As shown in FIG. 3, the connecting portion 8 is a substantially L-shaped component formed by bending a substantially rectangular metal piece at a substantially right angle near the center.

The tip portions of the arms 4 and 5 and the vertical portions of the connecting portions 8 and 8 are pivotally supported by third support shafts 33 and 33 that are substantially parallel to the direction in which the tips of the arms 4 and 5 are connected. That is, the third support shafts 33, 33 bring the vertical portions of the connecting portions 8, 8 into contact with the inner surfaces of the tip portions of the arm portions 4, 5, and bring the horizontal portions of the connecting portions 8, 8 inward. In the oriented state, the vertical portions of the connecting portions 8, 8 and the tip portions of the arm portions 4, 5 are rotatably supported.

On the other hand, the central portions of the base end portions 13, 13 and the horizontal portions of the connecting portions 8, 8 are pivotally supported by a fourth support shaft 34 that is substantially parallel to the first support shaft 31. That is, the fourth support shafts 34, 34 support the proximal ends 13, 13 of the pair of blades 1, 2 rotatably supported by the first support shafts 31, 31 on the horizontal portions of the connecting portions 8, 8. The center portion of the blade is rotatably supported, and the opening and closing operations of the arms 4 and 5 are transmitted to the blade bodies 1 and 2.

Here, stoppers 16, 16 are provided at the center portions of the base end portions 13, 13. The stoppers 16, 16 are each formed into a substantially rectangular plate shape, and are joined at the center portions of the base end portions 13, 13 so as to be flush with the rotation plane of the blade bodies 1, 2. The stoppers 16, 16 are configured so that the cutting edges 11, 21 do not intersect more than a certain level when the blade bodies 1, 2 are closed. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, when the blade bodies 1 and 2 are closed, the inner sides of the stoppers 16 and 16 collide with each other, causing the base ends 13 and 13 to be twisted, and the blade edges 11 and 21 to be engaged with each other more than necessary. This will prevent the cutting edge from getting damaged.

As shown in FIG. 3, a mounting hole 18 is formed in the horizontal portion of the connecting portion 8, and a mounting hole 19 is formed in the stopper 16 provided at the distal end portion of the base end portion 13. The fourth support shaft 34 passes through the mounting holes 18 and 19 and is fixed by tightening with nuts or the like on the back surfaces of the blade bodies 1 and 2, respectively.

Further, the third support shaft 33 rotatably supports the connecting parts 8, 8 with respect to the arms 4, 5, but in order to perform the harvesting operation without any trouble, it is necessary to It is desirable to fix the angle with the blade bodies 1 and 2 to be constant.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the adjustment screw 17 is screwed onto the third support shaft 33 on either the left or right side, and the adjustment screw The arm parts 4, 5 and the connecting parts 8, 8 may be fixed by tightening the arm parts 17, and the angles between the arm parts 4, 5 and the blade bodies 1, 2 may be fixed to a constant value. With this configuration, harvesting operations can be performed in a stable state.

Further, by loosening the adjustment screw 17, the angle between the arm portions 4, 5 and the blade bodies 1, 2 can be changed as appropriate, and the adjustment screw 17 can be tightened at a desired rotation position. Therefore, the angles between the arms 4 and 5 and the blade bodies 1 and 2 can be adjusted to any desired angle depending on the physique and preference of the operator. Furthermore, when storing the scissors, compact storage is possible by tightening the adjustment screw 17 with the blade bodies 1 and 2 folded.

Note that, as shown in FIG. 4, the fruit harvesting shears according to the present embodiment are constructed by removing the connecting parts 8, 8 (see FIG. 3) and using a pair of fruit harvesting shears rotatably supported by the first support shaft 31. It can also be used as a hand-held scissors mainly composed of the blade bodies 1 and 2. The scissors shown in FIG. 4 are used to open and close the blade bodies 1 and 2 to harvest fruits by holding the distal ends of the proximal ends 13 and 13 by hand and opening and closing them from side to side.

Note that when the base end 13 is not used in a hand-held form as shown in FIG. It is also possible to have a configuration in which a stopper 16 is provided at the tip.

Hereinafter, the structure of the fruit harvesting shears of the first embodiment will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7.

The scissors according to the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. , spacers 91 and 92 are provided.

Here, the blade parts 12, 12 are approximately elliptical in plan view when the blade bodies 1, 2 are closed, so as to follow the concave shape of the surface of the fruit near the base of the stem like a pumpkin, and , the side surface is formed in a curved shape (see FIG. 8). Both the front surface (top surface) and the back surface (bottom surface) of the blade parts 12, 12 are formed in a curved shape.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, the cutting edges 11 and 21 are made of cutting blades and are formed so that they interlock slightly (for example, about several millimeters), and the mines 14 and 14 are thicker than the cutting edges 11 and 21. do.

The spacers 91 and 92 are made of plastic with a hard and smooth surface, and the entire blade portions 12 and 12, except for a few millimeters (specifically, 2 mm or more and 3 mm or less) from the tip of the blade edges 11 and 21 ( That is, from the cutting edges 11, 21 to the holes 14, 14).

The shape of the spacers 91, 92 is approximately semicircular in plan view, and the spacers 91, 92 become thicker as they move away from the cutting edges 11, 21 and the grooves 14, 14, and are thickest near the middle between the cutting edges 11, 21 and the grooves 14, 14. The maximum thickness thereof is preferably 5 mm or less, more preferably 2 mm or more and 3 mm or less. Note that the spring 15 acts in the direction of opening the blade bodies 1 and 2.

Next, the structure of the fruit harvesting shears of the second embodiment will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 and 8. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment are given the same numbers and the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 8 and as shown by the two-dot broken line in FIG. A spacer 93 is provided on the back side of the first supporting shaft 31, that is, on the bottom side that contacts the fruit.

The spacer 93 is formed into a columnar shape from an elastic material such as silicone, and is bonded to the back side of the first support shaft 31 . This spacer 93 has elasticity and air permeability, and has fine irregularities on the surface and has a non-slip property, so that when the blades 1 and 2 are pressed against the fruit surface, they do not slip, and the blades do not touch the fruit surface. It is compressed between bodies 1 and 2. Therefore, when the blades 1 and 2 are brought into contact with the fruit surface, it is possible to finely adjust the angle of the blade edges 11 and 21 with respect to the fruit surface or the stem, while keeping the positions of the blades 1 and 2 fixed. This makes it easy for non-experts to cut the stem at the optimal position.

The size of the spacer 93 is not particularly limited as long as it does not interfere with the opening/closing operation of the blades 1 and 2, but may have a thickness of 5 mm or more and 15 mm or less, and a diameter of 10 mm or more and 40 mm or less.

Hereinafter, the method of use and operation of the fruit harvesting shears of the first embodiment will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7 and FIG. 9.

FIG. 9 shows a situation where the scissors of the first embodiment are brought into contact with the upper surface of a pumpkin fruit and the stem is about to be cut short. As shown in FIG. 9, by providing spacers 91, 92 with a thickness of 5 mm or less on the back side of the blades 12, 12, the appropriate cutting position of the stem can be determined by simply pressing the blades 12, 12 against the surface of the fruit. It becomes possible to guide the cutting edges 11, 21 to

Subsequently, the gripping parts 6 and 7 (in the case of hand-held scissors as shown in FIG. 4, the distal end sides of the proximal end parts 13 and 13) are moved in the closing direction (inward) to cut the stem. The opening and closing operations of the arms 4, 5 connected to the grips 6, 7 are transmitted to the blade bodies 1, 2 via connecting portions 8, 8 formed in a substantially L shape. That is, the third support shaft 33 rotatably supports the vertical portions of the connecting portions 8, 8 and the tip portions of the arm portions 4, 5, and the fourth support shaft 34 rotatably supports the horizontal portions of the connecting portions 8, 8. By rotatably supporting the center portions of the proximal ends 13, 13 of the blade bodies 1, 2, the opening and closing operations of the arms 4, 5 are smoothed to the horizontal opening and closing operations of the blade bodies 1, 2. can be converted to .

Furthermore, the second support shaft 32 that supports the intersection of the pair of arms 4 and 5 is positioned closer to the end points on the blade bodies 1 and 2 side than the end points on the grip parts 6 and 7 side of the arm parts 4 and 5. By providing this, it becomes possible to cut off the fruit stem with a lighter force due to the action of the lever. Further, since the angle between the arms 4, 5 and the blade bodies 1, 2 can be adjusted and fixed at any desired angle using the adjustment screw 17, it is possible to work in a stable state.

In addition, by providing stoppers 16, 16 at the center portions of the proximal ends 13, 13 of the blade bodies 1, 2, the proximal ends 13, 13 may be twisted, or the cutting edges 11, 21 may mesh more than necessary, causing damage to the cutting edges. You can prevent this from happening.

Next, the method of use and operation of the fruit harvesting shears of the second embodiment will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5, 8, and 10.

FIG. 10 shows a situation in which the scissors of the second embodiment are brought into contact with the upper surface of a pumpkin fruit and the stem is about to be cut short. As shown in FIG. 10, by providing a spacer 93 on the back side of the first support shaft 31 that has elasticity and air permeability, and has fine irregularities on the surface and is hard to slip, the blades 1 and 2 are attached to the fruit surface. When pressed, the spacer 93 does not slip and is compressed between the fruit surface and the blades 1 and 2. Therefore, when the blades 1 and 2 are brought into contact with the fruit surface, it is possible to finely adjust the angle of the blades 12 and 12 with respect to the fruit surface or the stem, while keeping the positions of the blades 1 and 2 fixed. This makes it easy for even non-experts to cut the stem at the optimal position.

Subsequently, the gripping parts 6 and 7 (in the case of hand-held scissors as shown in FIG. 4, the distal end sides of the proximal end parts 13 and 13) are moved in the closing direction (inward) to cut the stem. The opening/closing operations of the arms 4, 5 connected to the grips 6, 7 are transmitted to the blades 1, 2 via the connecting parts 8, 8 formed in a substantially L shape, but the details are explained in the first embodiment. This is omitted because it is the same as the form.

In addition, by providing the second support shaft 32 that supports the intersection of the pair of arm parts 4 and 5 at a position closer to the end points on the blade bodies 1 and 2 side than the end points on the grip parts 6 and 7 side, the lever can be improved. This action makes it possible to cut the stem with less force. Further, since the angle between the arms 4, 5 and the blade bodies 1, 2 can be adjusted and fixed at any desired angle using the adjustment screw 17, it is possible to work in a stable state. In addition, by providing stoppers 16, 16 at the center portions of the proximal ends 13, 13 of the blade bodies 1, 2, the proximal ends 13, 13 may be twisted, or the cutting edges 11, 21 may mesh more than necessary, causing damage to the cutting edges. You can prevent this from happening.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design changes that do not depart from the gist of the present invention may be made. Included in invention.

For example, the arm can be provided with a length adjustment section so that the length of the arm can be adjusted according to the physique or preference of the worker. It is also possible to provide a string attachment hole in the arm or grip so that the operator can attach a string to be worn around the neck.

1, 2 : Blade bodies 4, 5 : Arm parts 6, 7 : Grip part 8 : Connection parts 11, 21 : Cutting edge 12 : Blade part 13 : Base end part 31 : First support shaft 32 : Second support shaft 91, 92, 93: Spacer

Claims (5)

Fruit harvesting shears comprising a pair of blades rotatably supported by a first support shaft,
The pair of blade bodies each include a blade portion and a base end portion sandwiching the first support shaft,
The blade portion is approximately elliptical in plan view when the pair of blade bodies are closed, and is formed to curve upward;
A pair of fruit harvesting scissors, characterized in that a spacer is provided on the back side of the blade portion or the first support shaft. The fruit harvesting scissors according to claim 1, wherein the spacer is provided on the back side of the blade portion, has a hard and smooth surface, and is formed to have a thickness of 5 mm or less. The fruit harvesting scissors according to claim 1, wherein the spacer is provided on the back side of the first support shaft and is formed in an elastic columnar shape with a thickness of 5 mm or more and 15 mm or less. The fruit harvesting scissors according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a stopper is provided at the base end, and the left and right cutting edges do not intersect more than a certain amount when the pair of blade bodies are closed. . A pair of arm portions having one end connected to the blade body and rotatably supported by a second support shaft, and a grip portion provided at the other end of the pair of arm portions, respectively. The fruit harvesting shears according to any one of claims 1 to 4.